[larrys]

"I would love to give something back to you but I am not sure what that should be."

I would worry about creating an obligation that would require you to have anxiety and other issues by not being able to fulfill the obligation. While it's nice and might make you feel good to give back it's hard to believe that it wouldn't be better to simply try to get yourself stronger without the obligation of doing for others. For now.

After all even the simple act of "replying to all that wrote" appears to be more than you can handle right now. I'm sure some of those people would want to be acknowledged for taking the time to write.

[incongruity]

Heck, if an avalanche of correspondence fell on any of us, depressed or not, it may well be overwhelming beyond the point of being able to answer it all!

In any case, I would add that the set of actions that matter and make a difference is not a perfect subset of the actions that feel like they're important. That is to say, you never know when something that seems like a small act on your part can change someone else's day...

So, to that end, though I missed the OP's original post, I'd challenge him or her to simply believe in some purpose – find something every morning that makes it worth interacting with others (and try to do so in a generous way) and you're likely to make a real impact, even if you're never aware of it.

[chevas]

Serving others is one of the best ways to get one's mind off oneself and combat depression. I would actually exhort you to commit to doing some kind of service / help for someone else. Start small. Thank you for sharing your story.

[joelhaus]

Want to echo this and also recommend reading the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, for some tactical advice on how to 'serve' others in small ways. Good luck!